…but change is certain.

Running

As we watch the live coverage coming from the Boston area tonight – the speculation about whether the younger suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing is holed up in a boat in the back yard of a home – I read my emails. A friend is running a half marathon this Sunday. She says she is feeling some anxiety; ripples of the Monday bombing.

Ironically Monday morning, while runners, family members and the community were making plans to enjoy the iconic Boston Marathon I was meeting with a foot specialist in Grand Rapids in an attempt to get my running feet back. I miss the running community. I miss running with friends, talking along the way, listening to each others ups and downs, giving and getting support. I miss the sense of accomplishment felt after a good run. I miss the applause at a finish line. I miss that part of my life.

I hope those that ran Boston, especially those whose family members were injured or killed, don’t give up running. In times of stress it can be a comfort, and certainly the running community is supportive of its members. If you’re a runner one of the best ways to deal with trouble is to run. Sometimes solutions to seemingly insurmountable problems are worked out on a long run. Sometimes running allows you space to recognize that things are not so bad. And sometimes running is just an escape for a little bit.

For my friend running her half this Sunday…I send cyber hugs and reassurances that nerves before a race are always a bit frayed…and it’s normal to feel some extra stress this time. I know she will do great. She always does. In fact when I’m almost 70, as she is, I hope I’ll be running just like her.

If I can get my feet fixed and get myself out the door I think I will.

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I'm a long time banker having worked in banks since the age of 17. I took a break when I turned 50 and went back to school. I graduated right when the economy took a turn for the worst and after a year of library work found myself unemployed. I was lucky that my previous bank employer wanted me back. So here I am again, a long time banker. Change is hard.

I visit my foot reflexologist once every two months due to my stiff back andI love running. I used to run a lot when I was much younger but had to quit it because of the bone spurs in my lower back too.

Good luck to your friend today and good luck with your feet, Dawn. I hope you can get back to running soon. A bass player in our orchestra ran in the Boston Marathon this year and had his family there to support him. They are ok and were very lucky.

I’ve been having trouble with one foot all of a sudden the last couple of weeks. My regular doc diagnosed it as some fancy name that she says means “pain in the front part of the foot.” So she made me an appt with a podiatrist, coming up tomorrow morning. I’m going hiking anyway this evening and hope that I can do 4 miles and 500 feet elevation gain and back. Can’t we just have our 20-yr-old bodies back? When I’m 70 my goal is to be able to hike the grand canyon rim to rim to rim a couple of times a year. I’ve got a long way to go for that. Good luck on your foot & your running goals.

You know that to walk to the bottom and back of the Grand Canyon is my wild and crazy wish too. Maybe we could just get in shape together (apart, but you know) and try to do that sometime before we’re 70? Or even when we’re 70. That would be cool!